Switching between a lifelong aviation experience to boating

HopCar said:

Might I suggest that a Grumman Albatross might be a good boat for you. Jimmy Buffet had one.

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Believe it or not, but I would LOVE to own an albatross that would be amazing. My wife would divorce me of course.

Lolenzo said:

Believe it or not, but I would LOVE to own an albatross that would be amazing. My wife would divorce me of course.

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It would be a loss to lose your wife...but if you own an Albatross, unless you got a turbine modded one, you would be better off marrying a radial engine specialist...

Are there turbo Albatross? I flew a Turbo Mallard once. Did you know you can bounce a seaplane if you really screw up the landing?

HopCar said:

Are there turbo Albatross? I flew a Turbo Mallard once. Did you know you can bounce a seaplane if you really screw up the landing?

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Yep... even a helo can bounce off the water.... but it's much harder to tell what you did versus the wave as helos would just love to roll over if you don't keep some uplift on.

Not sure if any in the US were modded with turbines...wouldn't surprise me what some will do. They did the DC-3 conversion so the "Goat" as the USCG called it shouldn't have been too hard to do.


Aviation enthusiasts know the Albatross flying boats well, with the type first flying in 1947 as an improved version of the Grumman Mallard. The G-111T, built in Australia, will bring the aircraft back to life with digital avionics and state-of-the-art turboprop engines from Pratt & Whitney.

Buy one and I will try to get my pilot license med cert reinstated.

In my experience, there is one big difference: By necessity, the happiest, most successful, long-term boaters develop mechanical knowledge and skill that pilots largely don't need or use.

Makes sense to me, ouch!! That’s going to be a challenge.

Don't know about you full aviation background, mine was 100% USCG. Old school pilots believed in understanding every nut and bolt and system in the aircraft down to the last detail. The newer trend was to follow strictly published emergency procedures when necessary.

For those of us that spanned that transition, integrating the best of both saved a lot of aircraft through the years. Sometimes emergencies crossed over because some system failures were not pure and anticipated by the people for writing the emergency procedure section of the manual.

The nice part of seeing both sides of that discussion, I have always been driven to knowing how and why systems work and yet be sure to follow the emergency procedures prescribed.... but when the solution didn't work...it was nice to know where sometimes something else would get you through the emergency.

So I learned just about everything I needed to know to keep my systems on my trawler operational. That's not to say I could repair every one with tools and knowledge onboard, but I knew enough about the system to troubleshoot and identify the problem and most likely fix or bandaid till it could be fixed properly or replaced.

Rome wasn't built in a day and being the consummate cruiser doesn't happen overnight. It the methodology you approach it with that makes the difference.

I'm not a pilot but I've worked with a lot of them and the biggest difference I see with some personalities is the inability to improvise. Not saying all pilots have this problem but it seems to me that with aviation the FAA has very strict guidelines, procedures, and checklists. The marine world generally has ten ways to accomplish any particular task. Of those ten, two or three are sub par but get it done, five or six ways are pretty acceptable, and one way is the one and only way it should be done according to the grumpy old man on the dock screaming at you. Of course that one way is different depending on which old fart happens to be standing there at the time.

Kapn said:

I'm not a pilot but I've worked with a lot of them and the biggest difference I see with some personalities is the inability to improvise. Not saying all pilots have this problem but it seems to me that with aviation the FAA has very strict guidelines, procedures, and checklists. The marine world generally has ten ways to accomplish any particular task. Of those ten, two or three are sub par but get it done, five or six ways are pretty acceptable, and one way is the one and only way it should be done according to the grumpy old man on the dock screaming at you. Of course that one way is different depending on which old fart happens to be standing there at the time.

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So true...it was tough when I flew in the USCG.....it changed a lot.

Started flying with guys that when they started, they had a stable of WWII airplanes on the ramp...so many, they didn't even know how to start them. They had to have aircrew start them up...but boy could they fly and improvise.

By the time I stopped, most pilots were limited to one airframe and were 2 piloted most if not all the time. I do admit things were safer to a degree, but the loss of understanding systems hurt...of course the aircraft had become so sophisticated, understanding complex electronically controlled systems left few brain cells to do all the other tasks required besides just flying.

But through the history of aviation and right up till today, many disasters are/were prevented by pilots who were exceptionally experienced in difficult scenarios and were able to think outside the box... but yet many disasters came/come about because of pilots who think they know better or disregard procedures written in blood by those that have gone before. Thousands of hours of boredom interrupted by minutes full of terror is what keeps the job interesting.

When the worst happens i know i can swim. Never tried to fly...

I recently received good information from a pilot with 25 years of experience.We were in Cuxhaven, northern Germany, we wanted to cross the German Bight towards the Netherlands.
The German Bight is known as a notorious waterway, the weather is difficult to predict, strong currents and it runs in a funnel.
The forecasts were not encouraging, in showers up to 9 Beaufort, at the moment it was quiet.
I came into conversation with this man and he told me, take it from me, there will be no wind!
He said, I've been dependent on the weather for 25 years and my life can depend on it.
As a pilot you know better than anyone how to read and interpret the weather charts, that wind can come but not here, if it comes it is more easterly.
Feel free to go, you will have a fantastic crossing!
We considered everything and mapped out our escape routes.
And indeed it was a great trip, there was no wind!
You will benefit greatly from your experience as a pilot for sailing a boat!

Greeting,

Pascal.

no,no lola is white poodle and is mine.
this is mine poodle Lola king 7 month babe and Moly 2 and 1/2 year old



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more said:

no,no lola is white poodle and is mine.
this is mine poodle Lola king 7 month babe and Moly 2 and 1/2 year old



remove duplicates from large text file

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The best dogs ever.

what is this over ear

Previous post re FAA being full of rules and regulations. Some mariners would be wise to follow the regulations found in Federal Aviation Regulations regarding crew rest when they seem to be running hours on end with little or no rest. Operating a plane or vessel while being impaired physically and mentally due to exhaustion is a recipe for an unwanted outcome.

snowskierandpilot said:

Previous post re FAA being full of rules and regulations. Some mariners would be wise to follow the regulations found in Federal Aviation Regulations regarding crew rest when they seem to be running hours on end with little or no rest. Operating a plane or vessel while being impaired physically and mentally due to exhaustion is a recipe for an unwanted outcome.

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And training that's more advanced than presently required I would say trumps that or at least goes goes hand in hand with it.

Training usually includes some of the pitfalls in managing risks in operation of any equipment.